Welcome to the Fidelitas Wine Club!

Fidelitas is a family owned winery found on Red Mountain in Washington Wine Country. Our winemaker, Charlie Hoppes, produces hand crafted, Bordeaux-style wines made from some of the best fruit grown in Washington State. The Fidelitas Wine Club is really more than just a club. It’s more like a full service concierge program, where our members have access to top benefits, events and of course, outstanding wine. This blog is a place where our members can come together to see what is new at the winery, connect with one another, and get a sneak peek at upcoming releases and events.

August 20, 2010

I have just had one of the busiest, but most fun weeks filled with wine events around Western Washington. Since there are so many, I am going to do just a recap of each one...

#1 - this is not a Fidelitas event, but was one of my favorite things from the past week. If you have not gone already, do visit the Thursday evening Farmer's Market at the Olympic Sculpture Park. Unique vendors, chef demonstrations, live music in the amphitheater, yummy food and reasonably priced wine from the SAM Taste crew. So much fun.

Braised greens panini with sweet onions and a wheat berry salad, along with Oregon Pinot Gris and a view of the band below.

#2 - Pour on the Plaza at El Gaucho Bellevue: this is a great event in it's second year. Last year it was drizzling and cold all day. This year, it was HOT. People loved the FidelitasOptu White, which I was keeping on ice. Red Mountain Red is always hard to turn down, but didn't compliment the heat as well. This has consistently been an event with some hand-picked, top wineries from Washington and Oregon. I would definitely recommend attending next year.

#3 - Red Mountain AVA Tasting at DeLille Cellars: this was technically a trade tasting for restaurant folks, distributors and wine buyers. The wineries pouring are all part of the Red Mountain AVA Alliance, and were pouring their best wines from Red Mountain. It was a great opportunity for people to taste the unique characteristics that come from Red Mountain terroir. We showcased the Red Mountain Red, Ciel duCheval Cab, and Red Mountain Cab Franc. Again, the weather was WARM for showcasing red wines, but I think everyone had a great time.Just before the event began - the beautiful tents at DeLille Cellars in Woodinville.

#4 - WINE CLUB PARTY! We had our annual club event for Seattle-area wine club members on Wednesday evening at the Palace Ballroom. Top Fidelitas wines, Tom Douglas tacos, and a few of our closest Fidelitas fans...it was a great night. I don't have any pictures (guess I was running too much!) but remember seeing a few people with cameras. If you have any shots of the night, send them along!

#5 - Auction of Washington Wines Barrel Auction and Picnic with the Winemakers: finally the weather cooled a bit and made for a very comfortable evening at Chateau Ste Michelle. We featured samples from the barrel of our 2009 vintage of Red Mountain Merlot (to be released spring 2012) and poured tastes of our 2007 Red Mountain Merlot (released last April). It was really fun for people to taste these two wines side by side. Bidders competed to wine a case of the 2009 vintage, to be shipped to them in two years. By the end of the evening, our five cases of future wine made $3250 for Children's Hospital.

A pouring table filled with barrel samples, current releases and...Jag?

The final barrel auction winning bids are up on the board.

Needless to say, I am excited for a quieter week ahead...

Next big events to come: Winemaker Dinner with Charlie at Bin 20 in Pasco on August 25th, Optu Vertical Dinner at the winery on September 17th (sold out!), club shipment to go out September 20th, Crush Weekend (details TBD) September 24 - 26.

August 3, 2010

As much as I enjoy working with wine submissions, website updates and product development, my favorite part of my job is working with our club members. These are the people who remind me why I do all of the other things. They are the ones that I have fun with, and ultimately, share my passion for Fidelitas with. There are tons of things that I do for and with our members (one member wrote the most flattering post on her blog, Northwest Cork and Fork) but one of the most fun is to host private tastings with our wines.

Earlier this month, a few members invited me into their home to for a tasting of Fidelitas wines paired with food. It was really fun for me, because they requested that the menu be mainly vegetarian, which is how I usually eat. These are long time members (club number 4!) who invited several of their friends, including some other Fidelitas fans (numbers 19 and 28!!!). Below are a few photos of the evening...

She's not a member yet, but after tasting the Champoux Cabernet, I think she will be!

Dara (who is always willing to help at a party) with a platter of raspberry fudge brownies. I always state that I don't believe in the "red wine and chocolate" concept, but I am really trying to find a recipe that will make me change my mind. I may fiddle with this one a bit more and then share it.

Our hosts! David is originally from BC and so generously sent us home with some amazing Okanagan wines: Burrowing Owl and OsoyoosLarose.

July 23, 2010

I left (way too) chilly Seattle to visit (almost too) warm Red Mountain earlier this week. What a great time to come! Beyond warming up a little, it has been great seeing all of my friends and coworkers at Fidelitas. As an added bonus, we had an event here with our favorite taco wagon, so I got to gorge myself on yummy food. Does life get any better?I was also delighted to see our thriving little vines in our year old vineyard. The grow tubes recently came off, with the exception of some bright pink and purple ones that Mr. Boushey is experimenting with. They are growing so well that they even received a little pruning this week. (for those that don't remember the beautiful dirt vineyard we had for awhile, visit last year's post here) Here are some pictures of their progress:

Beau guarding the vines

Not a part of the vineyard, but I had to share this crazy clematis that is growing on my porch. How cool is that!?!?

June 25, 2010

Here I am, nearly one month after I last posted about how quickly time goes by. While I generally try to keep this blog about Fidelitas, I have to share just a few items from this month that just flew by!

Our new website is still in the works. When that happens, this whole blog will be a part of that site! We're moving a little slow, but I promise it will be great once it gets going.

And...mark your calendars! The Fidelitas club event in Seattle is scheduled for August 18th. I have to secure a few more items before I can release any more details but be sure to save the date!

Okay, and now here is my favorite news for the month of June. I just got married! Charlie was kind enough to allow Ben and I to have our wedding at Fidelitas earlier this month. We were blessed by gorgeous weather, and surrounded by our closest family and friends for this special day. Here are few shots taken by friends of ours.

the gorgeous table settings, later filled with yummy food from Picazo717.

calming our (my) nerves prior to the ceremony with bubbles in front of Cooper Wine Co.

May 24, 2010

I just realized that it has been ages since I posted anything! For those who do check in, here is a brief description of my whereabouts and Fidelitas updates from the past month...

I am now less than three weeks away from getting married! While I try to not let this get in the way too much, we are definitely getting down to the wire now.

We have released a few new vintages: 2008 Semillon (just in time for summer!), 2007 Columbia Valley Merlot (unbelievable chocolate and spice notes), along with the Champoux Cab, Merlot and Ciel du Cheval Cabernet.

We're getting a new website! I am so excited about this, and have been working to get all of the details together.

Finally, I'm learning all about how to maintain my new yard during a sunny/then hot/then rainy Western Washington spring.

May 10, 2010

Our friends at Anelare are hosting an incredible tasting class at their tasting studio in Kennewick. What a cool class - and you get glasses at the end of it! Here is some more information from the wonderful Kahryn at Anelare:

Join us... for a "journey through Riedel's world of glasses and senses." On the following evenings, "you will learn detailed information about Riedel glass creations and their unique philosophies on the ultimate enjoyment of wine.""The finest glasses for both technical and hedonistic purposes are those made by Riedel. The effect of these glasses on fine wine is profound. I cannot emphasize enough what a difference they make." (Quelle: Robert M. Parker, Jr. The Wine Advocate)Classes will be held at our tasting studio, there is room for 20 people each evening. Trained representatives from Riedel will be taking us though the course. Each person will receive 4 crystal glasses to take home; we will taste though wines and enjoy appetizers after class. Cost is $100 per person, value of stemware alone is worth over $100! Wednesday, May 12th 6:30 pm- sold outThursday, May 13th 6:30 pm

About Me

I am the Wine Concierge and head of Communications for Fidelitas.
I started with Fidelitas in May of 2008, but my love of wine started quite awhile ago. I have completed sommelier training with the International Sommelier Guild, along with coursework at the Northwest Wine Academy. While I enjoy studying (and tasting) wines from around the globe, I have a special fondness for Washington wines and the exciting, rapidly growing local industry.
I live in Seattle but travel to Red Mountain frequently. When I am not working, I enjoy cooking with friends and family. I also love to travel as much as I can, whether it is hiking the Washington coast or exploring the streets of Paris.